Particularly at the giant tech firms where there are many, many smart people, folks look at success and try to copy it. They set themselves up for promotions against the definition of what is expected at the next level. But those expectations describe an average, not a person. Real people are spiky.
No one is great at everything, in every situation. Some of the most successful can create situations where they can use their strengths. They shape the work to fit them. Most of us don’t get that luxury, but we can often pick where to play. I’ve taken on projects and roles that looked reasonable, but I knew weren’t a fit, and the results have been from poor-to-fair, never great. That mismatch is costly.
Choosing projects, teams, or roles is more significant than choosing how to work on then. They decide whether you work with your strengths or against them. Lean into strengths, lean into things that bring you energy and satisfaction. That doesn’t mean staying comfortable. It means knowing where you do your best work and pushing those capabilities or abilities even further, rather than attempting to contort yourself to a generic level N+1.